


For She Desires Questioning More than Sacrifices

by raspberryhunter



Category: 16th Century CE RPF, Abraham's Daughter - Arcade Fire (Song), Christian Bible (Old Testament), תנ"ך | Tanakh
Genre: Alternate Universe - Gender Changes, Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2012-12-24
Updated: 2012-12-24
Packaged: 2017-11-22 06:21:21
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 875
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/606765
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/raspberryhunter/pseuds/raspberryhunter
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>The effects of Abraham's daughter's actions, down the ages.</p>
            </blockquote>





	For She Desires Questioning More than Sacrifices

**Author's Note:**

  * For [yasaman](https://archiveofourown.org/users/yasaman/gifts).



**Excerpts from Genesis 22, from Wilhemina Tyndale's English translation of the _Five Books of Miriam, called the Pentateuch_ (1530):**

9 ...And Abraham made an altar, and dressed the wood, and bound Isaac his son, and laid him on the altar upon the wood : and the daughter of Abraham hid and watched.  
10 Then the angel of the Lord called unto her from heaven, saying to the daughter of Abraham, Girl, what is your name? And Abraham's daughter answered and said, I have none.  
12 And the angel said, How can this be? And she said, For my father never gave me one.  
14 And Abraham stretched forth his hand, and took the knife to kill his son.  
15 And Abraham's daughter raised her bow.  
16 And Abraham spake unto her and said, Child, darest thou to defy thy father?  
17 And Abraham's daughter said, Let young Isaac go. Lay not thy hands upon the lad, neither do thou any thing at all unto him.  
18 And when Abraham knew what he had almost done, then was he greatly ashamed, and he fled from his daughter and his son.  
18 And the angel called unto the daughter of Abraham out of heaven a second time, and said, Blessed art thou among women and men, daughter of Abraham, for that you have done this thing and defied the command to sacrifice thy brother, whom thou lovest.  
21 And the Lord sayeth, I will bless and multiply thy children, and they shall possess the gates of their enemies.  
20 And the daughter of Abraham said unto the angel, Promise me not children as the stars of the sky or as the sand of the seaside, nor victory in battle, for I care not for such things. Promise me rather that no other life shall die in a sacrifice to any god.  
21 And the angel said, The God of thy father Abraham will require no longer any sacrifice, neither of animal nor of man. As for the gods which your fathers served that were on the other side of the flood, thou mayest deal with them as thou wilt.  
22 Nevertheless, in thy children shall all the nations of the earth be blessed, because thou hast tested the Lord and found him wanting.  
23 And now shalt thou follow and serve the Lady, for she desires questioning more than sacrifices, and reasoning more than the fat of rams.  
24 And Isaac said to the daughter of Abraham, Let me, I pray, go with you whithersoever thou goest. For my father would have slain me, but my sister hath saved me.  
25 And Isaac abode with the daughter of Abraham all his days, and deferred to her wisdom in all things.

**Excerpt from the Prologue from Wilhemina Tyndale's English translation of the _Five Books of Miriam_ (1530):**

Consider how the Unnamed, as we do call the daughter of Abraham to this day, came forth. The Unnamed did defy Abraham and the Lord for her brother Isaac's sake: and that defiance saved and delivered her brother indeed: so that we see how that woman's life is not maintained by bread alone (as our Lady sayeth) but much rather by questioning and defying those who go against what is right or who too meekly submit to authority. Behold how thus she became heir to the promise and the blessings of God.

And the Unnamed is as it were a type or image of our Lady and Savior Mary the Defiant, the Daughter of God, who lived for us and taught us well to question both woman and God. For this is the fruit of the scripture and cause why it was written: and with such a purpose to read it is the way to everlasting life and to those joyful blessings that are promised unto all nations in the children of the Unnamed, which chief among whom is Mary the Christ our Lady, to whom be honor and praise forever and unto God our Mother through her. 

Amen.

**Excerpted from Johanna Foxe's _The Actes and Monuments_ , popularly known as _Foxe's Book of Heroes_ (second edition, 1570):**

Right well [Tyndale] perceived that the Scriptures of God being hidden from the people's eyes, this was the cause of great mischief, so as to render the unlearned lay people unable to question and defy as is exhorted them by the example both of the Unnamed and of our Lady Mary herself. For these and other considerations this good woman was moved (and no doubt stirred up of God) to translate the Scripture into her mother tongue, for the public utility and profit of the simple people of our Republic. In this she was supported in all things by our President, Henrietta VIII, whose friendship with Tyndale she called "one of the chief blessings of my life." 

...Tyndale died peacefully in her home at the age of seventy-four, justly beloved of God and woman for her work in bringing the Scriptures of God to the people. Her last thoughts indeed were of her God and our good President, and as she died she cried with a fervent zeal and a loud voice, saying, "Lady! I thank thee for opening the President of the Republic's eyes!"

**Author's Note:**

> William Tyndale, the author of the first English Biblical translation to be mass-produced, and the first known to work directly from Hebrew and Greek texts, was condemned and executed in 1536 for persistent heresy.

**Works inspired by this one:**

  * [[Podfic] For She Desires Questioning More than Sacrifices](https://archiveofourown.org/works/11271510) by [Luzula (Luzula_podfic)](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Luzula_podfic/pseuds/Luzula)




End file.
